Campus affected by heavy weekend floods

A number of campus facilities and residences reported flooding damage Friday, as Spruce Street and numerous campus walkways were deluged by the heavy rain and melting snow. "We were praying for it to stop," said James Wargo, executive director of Physical Plant. "We had plumbers and roofers opening drains. They have to be clean so they can take the water." Wargo said that as of 3:50 p.m. Friday, 30 water problems had been reported to his office. He added that it was the combination of the driving winds and rain and more than 30 inches of snow already on the ground which caused all the problems. Flooding was particularly deep at the lower gate of the Quadrangle, at the corner of 34th and Spruce streets and outside of Williams Hall. "It's really annoying to try to get to classes," College freshman John Wright said. "It was a real hazard trying to cross the streets. I was up to my ankles in water." College sophomore Joe Sciulli agreed. "The drainage has serious problems," he said. "Everything's all water." But some students did not let the flooding interfere with their plans and were excited to go out and frolic in the weather. Engineering freshmen Ralph Maier and Ron Hung enjoyed a soccer game in the Quad, despite the fact that they were covered in mud. "I love playing soccer," Maier said. "The game before the weather always." But the flooding was not confined to the streets. "We have leaks in just about every building," said Associate Director of Residential Maintenance Al Zuino. "We're attempting to keep ahead of it and minimize the disruption of the residents." But flooding did occur in McClelland Hall and the basement of Speakman in the Quad. According to Director Residential Living Gigi Simeone, a pipe burst Friday evening on the 22nd floor of High Rise North, and Physical Plant came to fix the problem. Many residents of HRN complained of the lack of heat in their rooms. "It was extremely cold when I woke up," Nursing junior Becky Peacock said. "My roommate's hamster was shivering." Peacock added that when she reported this to the front desk, she was told it was due to a flood between the 21st and 24th floors. But Simeone said she was unaware of any heating problems in the high rises over the weekend. Wharton junior David Chalom said it was "extremely cold" when he woke up at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. "The heater was blowing cold air and I had to get myself bundled up," he said.